Month: December 2009

Check out this quote from Vladimir Radmanovic. Most agree Warriors fans went hard on him, booing him during his 0-for-8 shooting performance. Guard Monta Ellis said he doesn’t like it. Even my man Matt Steinmetz, who is hard core, said it was harsh. But here’s what Vlad said. It is, indeed, refreshing:

“As harsh as it is, I can’t really blame them. As the new guy who came here, people have expectations of me. So far, I haven’t showed anything. I understand how they feel but at the same time, as a player, you expect support. Booing’s not going to do anything. I understand how they feel. I feel the same way. If I could boo I would do the same, the same thing they did last night. But it’s not going to help. We have great fans. (Despite) our record right now, they’re still coming and supporting us and we have to appreciate it.”

He held on as long as he could, but center Mikki Moore is now going to have surgery to repair bone spurs in his right heal. The Warriors are down three centers.

Could that mean Anthony Randolph is back in the starting lineup? Nelson said he would lean on Randolph more. Remember, the last time he played at home, Randolph set a career high against Dwight Howard.

Did some digging after YahooSports! Ruined my flight back home after a 10-day, five-game road trip with news about the Warriors shopping Randolph (C’mon, Woj!). According to a team source, and a few sources from other teams, Randolph is on the block.

Just a few weeks ago — when all the drama about Monta Ellis’ agent meeting with the team to potentially discuss a trade — I was told by a trusted team source that Randolph, along with rookie guard Stephen Curry and second-year shooting guard Anthony Morrow, were all untouchable. Now, I’m told by a Warriors insider that no one is untouchable. Everyone is on the market.

Even Randolph, the potential-laden second-year man the Warriors touted as the centerpiece of their young core.

Even Curry, the prized No. 7 pick who the Warriors coveted so much they reportedly passed on Amare Stoudemire

Even Ellis, who perhaps could become the Warriors first All-Star since 1997.

I will say this with certainty – Randolph would welcome a trade. He would be none short of happy. I’ve heard that from several people close to him.

When the Warriors hung close against Cleveland and Boston, and even for a while against San Antonio, it was just shy of admirable. Even though they eventually lost those games, by double-digit deficits at Boston and San Antonio, it certainly brought some positive vibes to the locker room.

But does coming close and losing in the end to Chicago, to Detroit, come with the same we’re-almost-there sentiments? Are they motivational near-misses? Or are they demoralizing?

I’m leaning heavily towards the latter.

Losing at Chicago and Detroit, in games they could’ve won, isn’t quite the moral victory they once enjoyed. Chicago and Detroit are both bad teams with injury problems, too. Neither Chicago nor Detroit won because they switched gears and pulled away from the Warriors, a la Boston or Cleveland, instead took advantage of the Warriors lack of clutchness.

CURRY: “To be in the game and play well enough to win is encouraging, but, at some point, we have to figure out how to make those plays that put you over the top. We haven’t figured that out.”

MAGGETTE: “It’s frustrating because we’re starting to play better, but lapses cost us. It’s hard to swallow, because we’re working as hard as we can to get a win. We’re doing a lot of good things, but we’re getting hurt in the end.”

He played just over 20 minutes and put together a solid line: 11 points, 4-for-7 shooting, 9 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 blocks and 0 turnovers.

Considering he was fresh off a family emergency, that Keith Smart said he’s steal dealing with emotionally, it wasn’t a bad performance. Hadn’t been with the team since the end of the OKC game. He stayed back to fly to Arkansas on Tuesday morning. He flew back to New Jersey on Wednesday. But he didn’t meet up with the team until pre-game. While the team had shootaround and hung out in NYC before heading to the IZOD Center, Randolph rested in a New Jersey hotel.

He played under control. He avoided mistakes. He banged down low. Got abused by Brook Lopez, but he’s not a center (though Nellie is determined to make him one). Randolph seemed dialed down emotionally, which probably was a product of the emergency he had to deal with (and it probably helped him stay under control).

SMART: “I thought he was good. He had good energy in the first half. I thought he came back and put together a solid game defensively. He rebounded the basketball. He was kind of a little bit off. I think he traveled in today, so that kind of caught up with him in the second half. But overall I though he played well, with good intensity – the kind of intensity you need for a guy who’s coming off the bench or if he’s going to be a good player in our league.”

Randolph is with the team now, meaning he could play tonight. It’s up to Keith Smart, who could give Randolph a night off considering the emotional roller coaster he’s been on. But Randolph might want to play, and Smart will need the minutes out of him.

Randolph came straight to New Jersey and stayed here while the team was in New York, according to a team official.